Jaipur, Sep 3 (IANS) Vehicle owners in Rajasthan will no longer be able to drive their vehicles with their name, official position, caste, organisation or village name written on number plates.

Additional Director General (ADG) of police (Traffic) Pankaj Kumar Singh told IANS here that there are rules clearly specified under the Motor Vehicle Act that doesn't allow anything else to be written on number plates of vehicles except the registered vehicle number.

"The specifications regarding the size of the number plate, the size of the numbers and the colour of the number plate has been clearly mentioned in the rulebook. Those violating the same shall be penalised," he said.

The Police Head Quarters (PHQ) Superintendent of Police (SP)-Traffic Chuna Ram Jat in a letter written on May 3 had directed all SPs, Police Commissioners, and Range IGs to ensure strict implementation of these orders.

The decision has been taken on the recommendations made by the Nagrik Adhikar Sanstha, which wrote a letter to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on August 9. Acting on the letter, the Home Department issued directions in the matter on August 20 to the PHQ.

In the letter to Gehlot, Nagrik Adhikar Sanstha general secretary Suresh Saini said that the trend of writing the name, one's caste name or organisation on vehicle number plates is increasing continuously, which practice endorsews casteism while disrupting peace in the state.

The letter noted that marking of slogans, symbols or names on number plates creates a distraction on the road for drivers, leading to increase in accidents.